Garment-clasp.



F. P. BARNEY.

GARMENT CLASP.

APPLICATION FIIEIJv ocr'. 17. 1913.

L1 5 1,556. Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

' Win-x COLUMDIA PLANOURAPH C0.. WASHINGTDN, D. c.

FRANK P. BARNEY, or orIAn'rLnY, MASSACHUSETTS.

GARlvfENT-CLASP.

trainee.

. Application filed Octoberfl, 1913;

To all whom it may concern,

Beit known that I, FRANK P. BARNEY, a citizen of the "Unitedv States, residing at Chartley, inthe county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garmenti Qlasps, of which the following is a` specificaf heads are provided with lateral ears through which a pin supporting a spring extends, the` Y endsof the spring being adapted to close kthe heads; in other formsv of clasps the barr or yoke itself, connecting the heads, is yielding or resilient, its tensionfactingto keep `the gripping or jaw ends ofthe yheads,normally closed. In my improved clasp 'device the yoke member is non-yielding, that is, the yoke is practically rigid and stationary relatively to the spring-pressed head members tiltingly connected to it. the normalA force or pressure exerted by the user in opening the jaws exceeds the normal center of the device; Fig. 3 is a plan view .resistanceof the springs in the heads, the

yoke itself meanwhile remaining relatively unchanged. r*Ihe members of the improved clasp are simple and inexpensively produced and assembled; the device is solderless and `rivetless; and its efficiency ismateriallyincreased by reason of the improved yoke and spring construction. p

In the accompanying `sheet of drawings, illustrating my improved garmentclasp,

'Figure l is a side elevation, in enlarged scale; Fig. 2 is a Vertical section, further enlarged, taken longitudinally through the of the blank from which the yoke is formed; Fig. l is an enlarged section of a portion of the head, showing the normal relative position of the spring, etc.; Fig. 5 is a similar view, showing the relation of the parts when the head is tilted, as in opening the jaws, the

spring then being under increased tension or` pressure; Fig. 6 is an inverted plan view of Specification of Letters Patent.

In other words,v

Patenten aug. si, isis.

kSerial No. 795,808.

the shoe, its flange being unbent; Fig. 7 is a plan view of a metal inner lining or bearing plate; Fig. 8 is a similar view of the tempered steel resilient disks adapted to be secured in the tiltingly movable heads; Fig; 9 is a side elevation showing the front portion of the head arranged to suspend an article therefrom, while at the same time capable of being in normal use as a garmentclasp; and Fig. 10 is an inverted plan view of the same.

The following describes more in detail the construction of my improved garment-clasp :k The article as a. whole is designated by the letter Ankit comprises the yokeor U-shaped frame or connecting bar member C and the oppositely arranged tiltable spring-resisted heads or fronts B,'B. 'Ihe yoke member C is produced from the hardened German silver blank c having reduced ends ci* and bent to a substantially U'- shaped form; the centrally bent part of the yoke maybe additionally stilfened, as indicated at m, Fig. 6. The yoke is practically non-resilient and non-yielding or stationary relatively to the heads B. The opposed arms c1, o1 of the yoke extendy ina divergent manner and are provided each with a pro- ]ection c2, on which the corresponding head B is adapted to tilt or rockin a manner somewhat analogous "to a knuckle-joint; the said parts c? merge into inclined portions c3 terminating in the reduced angularly bentl ends c?.

Each head or front B (see Fig. 2) consists of a suitably shaped recessed shallow cap or shoe a having a peripheral flange a1 adapted to be inturned, as in forming a rolled" edge; said shoe also forms the outer member of the head. ig. 6 represents the inverted shoe before bending its rim al. Each head is also provided with a tempered thin steel flat back disk ,van inner lining memberd, preferably of steel, may be employed to form a bearing for the joint C? to bear against, in lieu of pressing against the shoe, thereby reducing the wear and friction. rIhe said spring disk bis provided with alining openings b1, Z22, b3. The larger opening b1 is located in the rear portion, the smaller one, b2, intermediate the other two openings, being adapted to retain the bent end c4 of the yoke. roughened angular gripping member f, Fig. 2, is or may be positioned between the forward ends of the members CZ, b, its downwardly bent portion extending through the A notched orn y end opening or notch b3 and being rigidly n movementsof the head. rvhe clasp is in they normally closed position when the forwardy secured in place vby inwardly rolling the flange alot the cap.

The members Z and Z9 are placed superim-y posed in the cavity of the'shoe a, the member el being the inner one, and securedtherein by bending the flange al tovform a rolled Vedge ina well-known manner. An end portion of vthe yoke C extends through the opening 251 and is in ynormal engagement with the adiacentr inner facesof .the 'ineinbers cpl, b, said proJection c2 of .the yoke bearingA against the lining member d; and* having the bent end -o4 inserted in the open'-rv ingv b2 to prevent both lateral and endwise ends it, n of the heads B are in substantial engagement, the lower kor outer spring Z9 then vbeing, under normal tension.

` The practically inflexible knee portion, 02,

` on which the head B is adapted to tilt or swing, is preferablylocated at or rearwardly of the center of the head, while at the same time the opposedside or face of the yoke prace tically bears against the contiguous surface 53 toward each other the engagement of the resilient membersb with the non-yielding or relatively station-` ary ends of the yoke, meanwhile acting as fulora to forcibly depress the respective springs slightly at that point, thereby tems porarilyy increasing their force. or tension.'y Fig. indicates .sectionally, in an exaggery ated degree,l a portion Yolli thehead in which is shown the relation of the .partsl when l Y openings therein, and a yoke Jforming a pivotal connection betweenthe members, comthe head is vrearwardly tilted, as in opening the jaws. Upon releasing the opened jaws the reaction of `the springs act withv somewhat greater force, the clasping pressure being normal when the jaws are fully closed.

Figs. 9 and 10 vrepresent the head or front of my improved clasp provided with a per forated extension or ear a2 adapted vtoereceive the attaching ring of a watch-fob 'or other article, while at the same time .the clasp as a whole isadapted to beemployed kas a garment-clasp.

It is obvious that in rassembling the parts the relation of the conined end portions of Copies of this patent may be obtained for the yoketo the rigidly connected springand shoeV members should be such that the spring y is given anormal degree kof tension t0 render the Jaws of the headsfself-olosing.-v

,TvVhat'l claim and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is Y 1v; 'A garment-clasp comprising two opeo.y

posed clasping head members capable of limi ited tiltable movement, each member consisting of an outer cap, aback plate having alined periorations rigidly securedto said cap and a springfconined between the cap and'back plate, an integral 'stationary yoke member positioned between ysaid heads, said yoke being non-resilient and lhavingA a. ,pair ofV oppositely disposed armsthe Jree endsof the arms angularlybent andl extending through vthe pertorations Lof the respective back platesy with the bent portionsbeing in con-y tinuous frictional ,engagement with` the -in`' ner faces of the springs, whereby the said y2. "ln garmentclasp, a pairof head vmembers, a back plate secured in; each 'of said members and eaeh'being provided with alined openings of differentv sizes, arspring positioned between each head menfiberV and.

backv plate, ayoke pivotally connecting the head members, comprising Y a pair ofy ap-f vhead'niembers are adapted to be angularly posed angularly bent arms Mwith reduced Y i ends, the said arm-s received'in the larger back plate openings with the' reduced ends f in the smaller openings and contacting the springs at the bentportionsto hold the head niembers'in yield-ingly closed position. Y

3,. In a' garment.kclasp,faipair ofhead mem# bers, springs yand back plates carried by each member, said back' lplates having alined prisingv angularly bent arm ends each received in oneof said plate openings'- to eni gage one ofsaid springs, and directed outwardly through the other. opening whereby the-head members are yyieldingly heldv closed position.

In testimony whereof I havgfaxed my. L

signature in presence of two witnesses.l

' n FRANK- r, BARNEY.; Witnesses e' GEO. H. REMINGTON, CHARLES C. REMINGTON.

ve cents each, by addressing` the Commissioner of Patents, y Washington, D. C. 

